The present invention is directed toward an improved cove base and, more particularly, toward a cove base which is adapted to be secured to a wall base after the installation of a floor covering and which cooperates with the outer edges of the floor covering to give the same a finished look similar to a prehung cove base when installed.
Cove base or coving which is widely used today is comprised essentially of elongated flat strips of extruded vinyl. Conventional cove bases are normally approximately 1/12 to 1/8 inch thick and have a height of 21/2 to 6 inches. They are usually available in lengths of 4 feet or in rolls of substantially longer lengths.
There are generally two types of base cove currently available. The first is referred to as a "straight base" or "toeless base" which is essentially a straight piece of vinyl. Straight base coving is normally applied to the wall base prior to the installation of carpeting or other floor covering. As the floor covering is installed, the outer edges thereof must be trimmed substantially perfectly so as to abut evenly against the coving. This can be extremely time consuming and requires the use of skilled labor.
A second type of coving which is currently widely used is referred to as a "top set" cove base. This is similar to the straight base but includes a rounded lip or toe at the bottom thereof which extends forwardly by approximately 3/8 to 1/2 inch. With top set cove base, the floor tiles or other floor covering material is first installed. The coving is then secured to the base of the walls with the rounded lip at the bottom thereof overlying the edges of the floor covering. Non-perfect or uneven edges of the tiles or other floor covering are, therefore, hidden by the toe of the coving.
The top set cove base does not, however, give the same sharp, clean-cut appearance as the straight base and is, therefore, usually less desirable. Furthermore, care must be taken when installing the top set cove base to ensure that the adhesive which must be applied to the back of the coving does not soil or stain the carpeting. This, of course, is not a problem with the prehung straight base coving since the vinyl coving is adhered to the walls before the floor covering is installed. Top set cove base also conforms to minor waves in the floor leaving a less than straight top edge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,923 discloses a cove base which is prehung and has the clean appearance of a prehung cove base but which functions in a manner similar to a top set cove base. That is, when utilized with carpeting or similar material, the patented cove base can be used to hide the imperfect edges of the carpeting. The patented cove base is wedge shaped in that it tapers gradually from a relatively thin thickness at the top thereof to a thicker thickness at the bottom and includes a forward tip under which the edge of the carpeting can be forced.
While the cove base shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,923 functions extremely well with carpeting, it is believed to be less useful with other types of flooring such as tiles and the like. Tiles are, of course, not flexible. Accordingly, the patented cove base cannot be prehung since it is not possible to flex the tiles in order to force them under the tip of the coving. When used as a "top set" cove base, the patented coving has utility with more rigid types of floor covering. However, the forward tip of the patented coving is relatively rigid and cannot, therefore, always follow any imperfections in the flooring.
When the patented coving is used as a top set with more rigid floorings, the failure of the forward tip to follow imperfections in the floor can result in a less than perfect appearance since gaps may be visible between the coving and the flooring. This can be even more significant in installations such as hospitals and the like which must be kept antiseptic. When the floor is being washed, waste water and debris or the like can pass under the gaps and accumulate in the space between the tip of the coving and the wall where bacteria or other microorganisms can grow.